We seek innovative proposals for a special session on the trope of water in black literary consciousness at the 2014 MLA Convention in Chicago. We are particularly interested in research that engages water through the lens of migration, memory and access in the literature and cultures of the African diaspora. This includes, but is not limited to such topics as transatlantic crossings, water and black spirituality, and eco-criticism in addition to the excess of or limited access to water.